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I’m sure most of the people that might read this already know, but I will post here as well just to wrap things up and bring a sense of closure. Our family is moving back to Michigan.

I will continue working for the same company, but I recently moved to a different department and I’m transferring to the US.

It’s sad to leave Japan that I love, but it’s also good for our family. I feel like we accomplished everything we set out to do here and at this stage in our life, it’s good timing to move back.

I’m so glad we were able to come and serve the Lord here for these 4 years. We made connections, learned the language & culture, lived among the community, and did our best to expand the kingdom of God.

Our plan is to continue our ministry to the Japanese people in Michigan. There is a large Japanese population there on the east side of the state. The family will be flying back in late December. I have some business trips in Asia, so I will stay in Japan until mid-February.

I can’t say “it’s over”, but I think of it as the next phase in our journey.

As for the blog… I don’t think I’ll be adding much more here, if anything, going forward. But thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement.

I finished writing my 4th song in Japanese. It’s called The Missionary’s Cry because it sums up my core feelings and reasons for becoming a missionary. It comes on pretty strong compared to my other songs, but if I only got one chance to say something, this would be it.

If I hear God’s voice, shouldn’t I tell you? If I see God’s face, shouldn’t I let you know? If I discovered the existence of God, shouldn’t I say something to you? If I witness a miracle, then what?

It’s Jesus, Jesus, the only God, The one with the power to save Only Jesus, there is no other

If you found heaven, I would want you to tell me If you found love, I would want to know If you found truth, I would want you to teach me Moreover, if you found freedom, then what?

It’s Jesus, Jesus, the Savior who came to earth He has the authority to forgive sins

Even though you can’t see Him, He loves you Even though you have doubts, I think there’s a seed of faith, won’t it grow? Even though you don’t believe, it’s reality, although if at all possible, I want you to believe Even if you close your eyes, it won’t change, it won’t disappear

Heaven is real and so is Hell ~ it’s actually there

When we leave this world, don’t you want to know what becomes of us? When you encounter God face-to-face, what happens next? You’ve thought about all this before, haven’t you? When you call out God’s name, who will answer?

It’s Jesus, Jesus, the only God He will lead you to the road to Heaven Only Jesus, there is no other

Life is made up of the mundane. Sure, there are highs and lows… miracles and wonders. But most of life is not a wonder – otherwise they would cease to be wonders.

As I was biking to work this autumn season, one morning, I was just struck by the daily, simple blessings I experience everyday. There is so much to be thankful for in just the simple things. I stopped for a minute on my way to work and snapped the following pic:

It’s beautiful. The Japanese Maple (Momiji) have always been my favorite tree. This particular one has 4 colors at once! (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red) And between my house and my work, there’s probably 100 of them in a row. What are the odds that my favorite tree would line the sidewalk on my way to work?

So as I enjoyed the view, I just took the chance to appreciate all the simple things. My family, my job, my freedom. Remember, the simple things make up most of life, so if you can enjoy the simple things, you will enjoy most of life!